Patrick Stewart is gay? Guardian goofs

There are gay mutants in the Marvel Universe but Professor X is not one of them. Guardiancorrespondent Jane Czyzselska erroneously outed the actor as homosexual in her politically-correct piece praising Ellen Page’s coming out. Unfortunately, in her haste to publish and garner page hits she failed to fact check and mistakenly stated that Sir Patrick Stewart was one of the gay artists who praised the star of the film Juno for being so brave. Sadly for Czyzselska the Star Trek Enterprise might include a diverse crew that could include gay officers but Captain Picard is not one of them.

Patrick Stewart

Czyzselska wrote: “Some gay people, such as Sir Patrick Stewart, think Page’s coming out speech is newsworthy because a high-profile and surprisingly politically aware young actress has decided not to play by the rules that so many closeted Hollywood actors are advised to follow if they are to enjoy mainstream success.” Online research indicates otherwise. According to numerous sources Star Trek star Stewart married jazz siren Sunny Ozell in September 2013.

Guardian guards have since posted that the article in question “was amended on 17 February 2014. The third paragraph originally said ‘Some gay people, such as Sir Patrick Stewart, think Page’s coming out speech is newsworthy’. This should have read ‘Some people, such as Sir Patrick Stewart, think Page’s coming out speech is newsworthy’.”

Yes, it should have read “some people” but it did not and has since become a story all its own. Multiple sources are quick to note that while not being gay himself, Stewart remains a supporter of the LGBT community. He is a close friend of fellow actor Ian (Magneto) McKellen who came out to the public in 1988, supports marriage equality and was given the Straight Ally Of The Year from PFLAG last year.

Stewart has even portrayed gay characters in the past. His most famous portrayal is perhaps that of a rather flamboyant interior decorator in the 1995 gay comedy Jeffrey. He once told the press: “From my earliest years as an actor I have always been proud of the support the creative community gives to all forms of human and civil rights.” Should we live in a world where this type of thing would not make headlines as Czyzselska would suggest? Stewart just might wish to “make it so”.

About Will Phoenix

W. Scott Phoenix, B.A., B.S. was born in Hawaii, raised in Pennsylvania and resides in California. He has been a published writer since 1978. His work has appeared (under various names) in numerous places in print and online including Examiner.com. He is a single parent of three children and has also worked as an actor, singer and teacher. He has been employed by such publications as the Daily Collegian and the Los Angeles Times.